Ain't no sunshine
by Laurissy
Summary: This is the story of Leon's first love, marriage and heartbreak. Leon/oc
1. Dawn

Ain't no sunshine

**A/N Hey there so a Sir Leon fanfic and a multi chapter one at that anyway this could be considered a sequel to my first sir Leon fanfic the heroes of sir Leon, whilst it's not necessary for you to read that one to enjoy this one, it sets up how I perceive the character. If you want to read it you can it's in the sir Leon community and it's not that long. So here chessily is the story of Sir Leon's first love and heartbreak. I'm going to say this takes place when Leon is 17 and about 7 years before series 2 where we see him for the first time.**

Dawn

He arrived at his fiancée's house at dawn. The word still seemed foreign in his mind like it was some exotic creature from a faraway land. The idea of marriage appealed but also repelled him at the exact same time. Leon had never wanted to be married not because he disliked women, far from it but he saw how much pain and misery it caused. His mother had died by his father's hand and his stepmother had used her marriage to act like a spoilt brat. So for most of his life, he'd focused on being a good knight, keeping his stepmother from spending all his money when his father died and trying to maintain his castle and his business. The latter being why he was here, he needed her father's money and connections, the so called Merchant king. His stepmother practically screeched when she learnt that her stepson was considering marrying the daughter of a merchant but as he explained while the merchant king may lack noble blood, he does not lack money which is what they needed so she relented. He also seemed kind and jovial and looking forward to having him as a son in law.

He rather shallowly wondered what she looked like when he told Arthur of his business plan he looked confused "Why would you agree to marry someone you've never met? She could be ugly with warts and hairy feet" At 15 the young prince was beginning to experience an appreciation for women but it was only shallow and skin deep. Leon would like a pretty bride but he was more scared of what she'd be like, he didn't want to have a woman like his stepmother who was vain and only saw her stepson as she saw his father in terms of money. He wanted someone kind, contemplative and proper. Someone who would tend his wounds. Help run his business. And maybe just maybe someone who loved him. He looked up at this big imposing house and he'd never been more scared but he went in.

She looked down on him from her bedroom, Penelope had always had trouble sleeping and knowing that her fiancée was coming had not helped matters. At least staying up meant she got the chance to see him. He looked handsome with sand blonde hair and he looked quite strong but she couldn't see his face that well. She decided she might as well see him before their wedding tomorrow especially since he was up and although she trusted her father's judgement, a few questions wouldn't hurt just to see if they were compatible. She'd done the exact same thing when she'd gotten her sisters married and since her sisters couldn't question him for her. She must do it herself but how to do this without him knowing she was his bride. She knew that Tom their footman was fast asleep and it seemed a shame to wake him when all she had to do was open the door and show him to his room. She just needed to put on some scruffy clothes so she looked like a servant and voila one maid.

As she patted her new outfit, she realised how nervous she was. For one if father ever found out that she'd dressed as a servant and tricked her new fiancée, he would be quite angry but also, she was nervous about meeting him, through that door was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. She was going to be whisked off to a new home just like her sister Katarina and while she knew that Katrina was happy, she couldn't help being scared about her own fate so she trembled as she opened the door to let her husband in. Now that she could see him properly in the light, she could see that he was quite handsome. He had blue eyes and soft features. He even thanked her when she showed him his room, a noble always went up in her opinion when they thanked the people who served them. He also thanked her properly which she found very few nobles knew how to do; he looked her in the eyes and said the words without sounding like he was forced to acknowledge an unpleasant smell.

The young servant girl who escorted him to his room looked at him with a mixture of suspicion and appraisal and when they got to his room, he waited for her to leave but she just stood there so after a few moments he said politely. "Um do you want something?"

"I would like to ask you some questions" she said curtly "to ascertain your Compatibility with Penelope."

"Don't worry her father asked me plenty of questions when I decided to go ahead with this arrangement."

"Even so I would like to ask some more firstly have you ever made love to anyone" she said. There was an awkward silence

"I really don't think that's an appropriate question for you to ask" Leon replied politely but taken aback by the bluntness of the question.

"My lady is quite nervous about the whole thing and she wants to know if you've had experience in that business." Penelope blushed as she said it, she couldn't believe she'd started with such a question, it was a topic that troubled her deeply but she knew that proper ladies ought not to discuss it.

Leon not sure how to react to this decide that he'd better retreat from this situation. "I'm very tired" he yawned "I've spent all day riding and I'd like to look my best for your lady tomorrow."

Penelope couldn't help but smile at that and politely nod her head and decided to leave. She left and then she immediately bashed her head against the wall, resisting the urge to curse only because her nursemaid had taught her better than that. She went to bed; she hadn't learnt anything useful about her new fiancée, anything to ascertain his character. She'd seriously put her foot in her mouth and now he'd seen her, he'd recognise her tomorrow. She could only pray that he wouldn't mention this to her father, he was so afraid she'd scare him of and she could see why now.

"I don't see why I have to get married" she thought to herself. Sure her sisters were happy; she'd made sure of that. She'd decide when she was 15 that Joan and Rowan were perfect for each other, he started working for their father and everyone knew he was considering making him his heir. She realised that he'd fallen for Joan and had given him a foolproof plan to seduce her. Admittedly, this plan did end up with him getting a broken leg but he'd proposed and now they were happy. Katarina was harder, she was always so fanciful and flighty, she had a crush on Oliver who was a prince from a faraway land and with their foolproof plan, she ended up seducing him, unfortunately, she'd also ended up starting a minor fire but he proposed and took her away to his kingdom. She didn't like being far away from her sister but from her letters, Katarina was clearly happy so she decided she was happy to. But was there any guarantee, she'd be happy so far away from home. She didn't want to get married, love was messy and she didn't like mess. Her father still wasn't over her mother's death, not after all these years. There was always a hint of sadness in his eyes and sometimes, she caught him staring at a wall, talking to her. She never wanted to be that sad but when she asked Joan about it, she just said "Well, you've got to risk being really sad to be really happy." Penelope wasn't so sure so she decided to try and get some sleep.

Meanwhile Sir Leon was lying on his bed, hoping that at some point, he'd feel tired. He knew the chances were pretty low. All he could think of was "I'm getting married tomorrow." The conversation with the maid hadn't exactly allayed his fears either. Because she'd manage to give him a whole new thing to worry about. Sex. He was 16 at his first time, she was one of the servants, and it was a week after his father died. He just went to bed after a long day and there she was lying naked on his bed. He had no idea what to do but she did. Her name was Lucy and she'd wanted to curry favour with her new lord. It hurt to think how he'd been used but he had enjoyed the experience even though he'd never felt more inept. He had no idea what he was meant to do and where he was supposed to do it. It didn't seem to matter though she screamed in what he hoped was ecstasy. It happened a couple more times after that but they always wanted something from him. If any of them enjoyed his company, they enjoyed his money and position more.

He wanted a partner though someone to share his life with, to help him but he also wanted her to be happy. Could he satisfy her? Would she even want him? All these questions buzzed in his head desperately demanding answers but all he could do was speculate. His imagination unfortunately had decided to become very cruel and by mourning, he was half convinced, he'd agreed to marry Satan's daughter. He was almost relieved when another maid came in and gave him breakfast. He was informed that, he had to have a business meeting with his future father in law and brother in law to discuss business, then he'd put on his best suit and be escorted to the church where he'd meet his bride to be. He was just glad this meeting would give him something to think about apart from his wife, he could handle the business side of things.

She looked at herself in the mirror and stated to make funny faces until Joan hit her gently. "You're going to be married, stop acting like a child" Joan informed her as if she didn't already know so she stuck he tongue at her, Joan smiled regretfully and continued doing her hair. Her dark ebony curls had white roses weaved into them, in a long complicated plait. She was already wearing her dress it was a flowy white fabric that covered her arms and chest and a light pink silk that made up the rest of the dress. She also had pink ribbons tied around her waist. As she looked at herself, she was sure; she'd never have looked more beautiful. But she still felt terrified.

"I know you're scared" Joan said.

"No I'm not, I've never been scared" Penny replied.

Joan smiled "You are going to make a great wife" Penny smiled weakly and Joan added "I'll tell you something else; you're going to enjoy it."

Penny looked confused "How do you know that?"

"I'm the older sister, I know everything" Joan said knowingly.

"Yeah right" Penny smirked and started laughing and this set Joan of.

"Come on let's get to the church" Joan said. As she looked at her sister, she realised no matter what, she had a great family who would look out for her. She decided she needed to have some faith in herself. She was a smart, beautiful and admittedly stubborn girl; she could make this marriage work.

All too soon, here he was at the church waiting for his bride to come, he had an urge to run as far and as fast as he could but he shook that thought out of his head. He'd agreed to this and it was a good deal, it would completely revitalise his business and he could use the money to repair his castle, which had fallen into some disrepair much to his stepmother's chagrin. He heard the music and he saw the servant walking towards him in a wedding dress. He wondered if this was some kind of joke but his future father in law seemed to think everything was ok and so did the rest of the church, he just turned to the priest looking slightly confused. She walked up beside him.

"I'm really sorry" she whispered to him. The priest started talking.

Leon whispered back "So you're not a servant"

"No" she whispered "I was just nervous, I shouldn't have lied to you but I've never done this before"

Leon laughed "Me neither"

She gave him a look "You should take this seriously; we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."

"Yes I know" Leon replied "But now I know you can make me smile"

Penny blushed and smiled back, "Well I guess that's something."

**A/N Well this took a lot longer than I thought it was going to take, I've just been really busy sorry that not much happens in this chapter this is just character set up and more things will happen in the next chapter. So I hope you like Penny I didn't want her to come across a s Mary Sue nut I didn't want her to come across as annoying either so this is the first time where an oc is one of the main characters so I'd really like to know if I succeeded so thnx for reading and plz review.**


	2. Noon

Noon

Penny tried to explain it to her again, "Look we've decided that, you should half your allowance until the repairs on the castle are done" she said it in a calm manner which was quite an accomplishment considering this was the 5th time she'd said it.

"You're abusing me, you wicked little wench, you want me to live in poverty while you and your husband take all the money for yourself, before you came along Leon understood that it was his duty to care for me in my old age."

Penny shook her head and tried again "We are giving you a fair sum for you to live off especially considering we provide all your meals"

"So you want to starve me as well, do you? Oh what have I done to deserve this?"

"Plenty" thought Penny but she knew she'd never have any peace if she said it out loud.

"It's a temporary measure and we've given you enough money so that you can buy 2 dresses and several items of jewellery every month"

"The money you've given me, wouldn't even begin to cover the cost of 1 dress let alone 2"

"Maybe if you looked at cheaper alternatives, you could make your money go further."

"Impossible, you would have me live as a peasant and wear rags."

"You won't be living as a peasant, the money we're giving you is 5 times what a peasant earns in a year and your allowance is monthly."

"I will not debase myself, when my husband was alive and before my stepson married a harpy, I wore the finest dresses, had the finest jewellery and the prettiest shoes."

It was true that both Leon and his father had let her have what she wanted so both of them could have an easier life but Penelope was determined to stand up to her, if they cut down on the money then they could finish the repairs so much quicker and invest in new mining equipment for the new tunnel she was proposing. So she decided to take on a new tack clearly appealing to her sense of compassion and logic wasn't going to work.

"You know, Leon and I have been discussing that while the castle repairs are done that you should stay with my sister in Alddell."

"Why would I want to stay anywhere with someone related to you"

Penelope bit her tongue and said "My sister is the princess of Alddell and I'm sure she'd be happy to take you to all the balls and parties and the Alddellian markets are famous worldwide"

"Do you think I'm stupid? I'm not going somewhere that openly practices magic, I don't care how many bachelors there are or fancy dresses." She then flounced of, presumably to tell Leon that his wife was trying to convince her to become a human sacrifice for some savage magic users. She didn't understand why the hatred of magic was so strong here. Several witches and wizards had passed through her town over the years, and they'd caused little harm and they also brought a great deal of joy when they arrived especially during samhain where they let magical lights into the sky and an invisible band played all night long.

She didn't understand why here magic was treated with such suspicion and paranoia, magic was like any tool like a pick axe or a sword. They could be a useful tool but dangerous at the same time. Leon had explained to her that magic had killed Uther's wife but she didn't understand why this incident led to his hatred of all magic. Leon said he didn't know either but he had seen the horror magic could inflict on people and it seemed a wise manoeuvre to stop magic from harming people. The fact that her sister was Princess of Alddell had caused some trouble for her, many people were suspicious of her manly because Alddell was one of the few kingdoms left that allowed the open practice of magic. Penny had tried to explain to her husband that if you properly police magic, it was no more dangerous than having a sword. Leon didn't know what to say to that and it was something they disagreed on.

However it was the only major disagreement after 6 months which was something, he appreciated her business sense and she was practically running the mine by herself which allowed Leon to take on more knightly duties. She quite liked being in charge of the mine and the castle registrations as long as she consulted Leon first and made sure it wouldn't cost that much. He was a bit disappointed that the castle repairs were going to cost twice as much as he wanted but she managed to convince him that if you want something to last, you have to use the best. She was enjoying being in charge for the first time in her life.

She also liked her husband to, he was more than just handsome, he was kind, courteous and quite intelligent. They had spoken of many topics in the last 6 months, the mine, art, music and politics. She was enjoying having a husband who could satisfy her need for debate and conversation. He also now satisfied her in other ways to. Admittedly their first time had been less than gratifying, it was painful and he was just so nervous it was amazing he managed to perform at all. According to her sisters, it takes time to know how to please one another so at first they concentrated on that and it was quite an experience for both of them figuring out how to push each other's buttons. It made her sad that he spent so much of his time at Camelot being a knight. She definitely missed him when he wasn't there but she wasn't sure if it was love. But she didn't even know what love was?

She went to her husband who was in the training ground, there was a great tournament in the prince's honour and he was determined to become second. This attitude annoyed her, why should he not try and come first but he explained that it was the prince's tournament and it was meant to be his day. Penny wasn't entirely sure of the prince deserved a whole day dedicated to him, he seemed to be the most arrogant pig she'd ever met admittedly she'd only met him once. Leon insisted that she needed to get to know him and that was another thing she liked about her husband his endless patience regarding the flaws of others.

Leon saw his wife and immediately broke into a goofy smile. He'd never felt more happy being married had given him so much more than he expected. He felt like he could talk with her about everything, she ran the house brilliantly; she even stood up to his stepmother, a trait he hoped one day to duplicate. He got off from his horse and kissed her; she was surprised and then started kissing him back with such force he ended up propped against one of the fence post.

"So, you're not mad at me." She said happily

"No"

"I made things, a lot worse between your stepmother and me." She admitted sadly, "she'd just not being reasonable, I give her money, I try to advise her on how best to use it and what do I get insults" She marched up and down in a way she always did when she was cross.

Leon found it quite cute, how her bottom wiggled slightly as she went to and fro. "Focus" he thought quickly, "Look she's being unreasonable, I completely agree but that's just her way"

"So you're not mad I tried to send her away."

"Were they actually going to sacrifice her?"

"Human sacrifice in Alddell has been banned for more than 500 years"

"Well that's good but I think we're going to have to live with her for the time being"

"But she's impossible"

"I tell you what, I've been looking into things and I've got an idea."

"Does it involve casting her into a fiery pit?" Penny said eagerly.

"No it involves you coming with me to Camelot, we can add the fiery pit if you want"

"Seriously you're taking me to Camelot" she smiled and then sighed "I can't go I have way too much work to do here, I have to organise the builders, oversee works on the new mines and I have to see to the town's need."

"They can live without you for a week, besides you have been working so hard since I've married you and I've decided you deserve a holiday"

"Are you going to order me to take a holiday?"

"No, I'd much rather convince you" he kissed her again.

"That might take a lot of work; do you think you're up to it?"

"I think I might be" he said trying to kiss her again but she stopped him and started to walk away.

"Where are you going" he shouted after her.

"To pack"

Leon laughed "I love you." He wondered if she heard him and then he realised, he'd said it and it wasn't a lie. He was in love with this amazing girl. She annoyed him, teased him but she made him happier then he'd ever been before. But she hadn't answered back. "It doesn't matter" he thought "She probably hadn't heard."

He then decided to track down his stepmother; it wasn't hard because she was at this point shouting at Bessie their youngest maid. It was hardly fair to pick on her, but she was the only one who was suitably terrified of her. Patsy was too old to care what his stepmother said Barbara had a great ability of not rising to her bait and staying calm in her presence, all his life he'd tried to master that ability. He still hadn't quite managed it so here she was picking on Bessie because her linen wasn't sufficiently clean.

Leon stepped in "The linen is fine Bessie; Please could you help my wife pack." Bessie grateful for the chance to escape went at once.

"Have you finally come to your senses and sent that witch away?" She said with complete disdain.

"No she's coming with me to Camelot for the tournament."

"Am I welcome on this trip?"

The honest answer was no but whoever said honesty was the best policy had clearly never met his stepmother so instead he said "Of course I wouldn't want you in this dirty old castle all by yourself"

"That would be utterly barbaric, uncivil and just plain wrong."

"Yes, I've decided that I am going to go to extra expense to make up for all the things you've had to put up with."

"I have had to put up with so much, but I've always had a saint's disposition."

"Yes" he said trying to sound sincere "I've acquired the royal guest room for you with all the luxuries you deserve."

"Oh that's wonderful, but where are you sleeping?" She said suspiciously

"Well I obviously can't afford to rent two royal apartments so I'm afraid me and Penny will have to share my Spartan accommodation in the barracks." He said with mock regret. He could almost see the cogs in her head working, on the one hand she wanted to be in the royal room but on the other she didn't trust Leon not to conspire against her when she was out of sight. Her paranoia and snobbery battled it out for a while but in the end her snobbery won. "I'll pack straight away" she squealed excitedly "Where's that blasted servant?" she shouted.

Leon sent Barbarta to deal with her which he knew would annoy her but he didn't care an as he got to his room he smiled.

She was in her nightgown; her hair was loose as it cascaded down her back. She looked at him "You didn't tell me you were bringing her."

She looked annoyed but it was so cute, he couldn't help but laugh and this caused her to look very unimpressed. "Look I've arranged it so that she'll be very far away from us"

"Well that's something, I guess" she smiled "You know you only convinced me to come with you, I never agreed to her coming, you're going to have to convince me."

"I would have been disappointed if I got you to come without convincing you"

/

Penny sat down in the stands watching the tournament. She was quite close to the royal box. She saw the Lady Morgan in a fine purple dress. She looked down at her own humbler dress and for a moment felt a ping of vanity. Uther was sitting next to his Ward and he certainly looked imposing. He was dressed in red royal robes and his crown glistened in the afternoon sun. Then there was a third person who according to Barbara was the head Witchfinder. The man responsible for maintaining Camelot's outlawing of magic. By all accounts, he was brutal. Apparently he had once ordered an orphanage should be burnt down because he thought it was being used a hideout by magic users. It turned out that it wasn't and many were disheartened that he'd never been punished. He didn't look evil, if anything he looked slightly average. He had auburn hair, brown eyes and a medium build. The only thing that stood out about him was his clothes. They were all black despite the hot day. They were clearly well made and he'd embellished them with red jewels around the nape of his neck. It was an odd combination but it certainly looked imposing.

Barbara was sitting next to her and she was glad of the company. She seemed excited and was telling her about all the knights. Who was on good form? Where they all came from? What family they came from? Penny was glad of the distraction but as the day dragged on. She didn't see the appeal of this sport and at first she was worried about her husband's safety. But as the day wore on. She saw how unnecessary it was. Her husband was at perfect ease in this world and he seemingly won every match without much of an effort. Barbara explained they face the weaker knights against the strong knights first to create more of a grand finale when the champion is crowned. She didn't really understand this tournament but her husband seemed to be enjoying himself and that was the main thing. She began to feel a bit queasy and decided to go to her room. Barbara looked disappointed at the prospect of leaving the tournament but Penny insisted she stayed and that she could make it back to the room unaided.

As she made her way back to the room. She wondered on the cause of her queasiness but put it to the back of her mind sure that all she needed was a good lie down and maybe some food, she had been sick earlier in the day. On the way she ran into the witch finder.

"Hello my lord" she said politely. She curtsied and then tried to leave but he stopped her.

"I don't believe we've been introduced" he said with a courtesy that didn't suit him.

"I am Lady Lambert, wife of Sir Leon" she said nervously.

"Lady Lambert" he said slowly. "Have you been to Camelot before?"

"No" she said struggling to keep a tremble out of her voice, it felt as if he took up the whole corridor and it made her feel really ill.

"It must be hard" he said gently whilst walking towards her "to be alone for so much of the time."

"I'm sorry my lord, I am feeling quite ill and I wish to leave."

He examined her and wondered whether he should take offence. She did look quite pale and he could see beads of sweat on her forehead. But that was a fairly normal reaction to someone has feared as him. He decided it wasn't worth pursuing her at this point in time but he did make a mental note of her. Her marriage was problematic but it posed no real obstacle to him. He was loved by the king and Leon was just one of the prince's knights and his word could easily beat the young knight but he didn't want it to come to that. If she capitulated, it would be better for the both of them.

She walked past him not daring to look back. She could feel him staring at her and had to fight the urge to gag. She made it to her room just in time. All of a sudden a tiredness came over her and as she lay down on her bed, she fell asleep.

"Wake up, sleepy head." Barbara nudged Penny gently. Penny stirred slightly and managed to direct her hand towards the noise.

"She might as well be a kitten" Barbara thought. She was tempted to let her sleep but her lord had ordered her to bring her.

"I'll be up in a minute; I just need to lie down for a sec." Penny said sleepily. Barbara smiled at her and decided to leave her to it. The lady Penny wasn't needed immediately and besides she'd had a long day. Barbara indulged herself with a yawn of her own. She wished she could sleep but she had her duties to do. She had to clean her master's armour, put out her mistress's clothes and sorts out her mistress's hair and cleans this room. She sighed and set out one of the dresses from the suitcase. It looked beautiful. Penny had spent 2 weeks making this dress. She laid it on the table and took a bottle out of her pocket.

"I wonder" Barbara said out loud.

"Wonder what?" Penny asked.

"I'm sorry I thought you'd still be asleep"

"I wouldn't miss the feast for the world besides I need to know who won don't I"

"This is only the first day, my lady. The whole tournament will take place over three days." Brabara said smiling

"I see, so my husband will spend most of the four days here training or being with his fellow knights."

"That's normally the way my lady. The ladies live on one world and the men the other. Until the sun sets and the feast begins and then he belongs to his love who has the power to offer him the thing all men want

"Oh, What's that" she said confused.

"Your favour" she smiled "Could you sit down so I can prepare your hair?"

"Yes, Barbara."

She sat down at the table. Barbara had already arranged neatly various hair appliances that she's bought normally Penny would do her own hair but she knew she'd needed to impress tonight, to show that she was not only capable of being a good wife but a respectable one as well. This was her presentation to the nobility of Camelot and although she was so minor that the attention would not be on her. She still felt scared.

"Don't worry" Barbara said conspiratorially "You'll be fine"

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know a little about nobility in all my years as a servant and the moment you mention that baby, they'll be putty in your hands." She said candidly.

"What baby?"

"The baby inside of you, of course" Barbara laughed but stopped when she saw the look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew, I thought you were keeping at a surprise" the look of confusion on her face confirmed that she didn't. "You've been feeling ill for a couple of weeks now and you haven't bled in 2 moons."

Penny was stunned, Barbara was right of course and she'd known the symptoms of pregnancy, she didn't know how she didn't twig. She guessed because she hadn't thought to be pregnant be this soon. It took her eldest sister's a year for her to conceive. She'd only be a wife for four months and now she was pregnant.

"I have some medicine from Gaius. It should help the two of you get through this feast. Anyway your hair's done now"

"Thanks for everything" Penny said sincerely

"It's what I do, my lady" she curtsied and smiled. She looked at her mistress who was so young and soon to be a mother. She felt anxious for her mistress; she was still a child herself in quite a lot of ways. She pushed those thoughts aside. There are times to worry and there are times to celebrate and as she escorted her mistress to her husband and watched as they embraced. She realised that for the moment. Tomorrow didn't matter all that mattered was love and the look of happiness on their faces as they realised they were going to be parents. The rest of their lives ahead of them.

**A/n Sorry for the delays guys. I am going to finish this but it's taking a while. Anyway hope you like this chapter and please review. **


	3. Twilight

Twilight

Penny looked down at her son, remembering all the pain and joy he brought her when he came to the world. Barbara knitting beside her. At first he was a stranger to this world; he'd look at the world around him and be baffled by it. He would then look to his mother, not knowing the meaning of the word but he knew that he could trust her to look after him.

Penny did not share her son's faith, she had no idea, how to be a mother. Her own mother dying when she was very young. Before her marriage, she thought she knew everything but as she looked down at what she'd created, she'd never been so confused. But she had Barbara and Leon there and gradually she started to figure out motherhood. She still didn't feel like an expert though and this irritated her, she normally prided herself on being a quick learner and considering how quickly she'd gotten used to marriage, she didn't see why mother hood would be so different.

Barbara laughed when she said this "Marriage is easy compared to mother hood"

"Why, though" Penny said desperately

Barbara looked thoughtful for a few seconds before replying "I guess with a husband, they know what to expect, so you can either give them what they want or not, a baby doesn't know what it wants, it only knows that it's your job to give it to them."

"I guess you're right" Penny said half-heartedly.

"Of course I am, my lady, but only because I've experienced marriage for 25 years and motherhood for 23 years." Barbara said knowingly.

Penny smiled at her thanking the gods for her fortune; she had a beautiful son, a loving husband and an experienced maid. But she couldn't help feeling a sense of foreboding. They'd been in Camelot a couple of weeks now. At an even bigger tournament then the one she'd seen previously. It had been going well, she was at the first feast and she'd decided to leave early to check up on Harry. But as she walked down the gloomy corridors, shivering in the slight breeze that seemed to go up her spine. She realised she wasn't alone. She looked behind her to see the Witchfinder. She hadn't thought of him since her last meeting with him but as she looked at him the same feeling of unease came over her.

"Good evening Lady Lambert" he said courteously.

"Good evening" she replied trying not to make eye contact.

"It is good to see you again" he said. The words sounded courteous to Penny but she felt malevolence behind them.

"I'm sorry, my lord" she curtsied "but I have to go and see my child"

He laughed at this, it was a terrible laugh and she automatically winced, forgetting all the noble manners she had learned over the last 2 years.

"I am not a lord; I grew up on a farm 2 miles from here. I may wear my fine clothes and buy fanciful things but I will never be a true lord. Those people in there, look down on me" he stopped looking at her to look at the door to the great hall. She had the desire to run but she stood completely still and then he rounded on her again and he took her hand the feel of his skin on hers made he feel sick. "But you and I are different, this hand isn't a ladies hand, it's a common hand and has been used for many common things." He used his other hand to grasp he hand tighter but she pulled away.

"I don't know what you're implying but my father was a prosperous merchant and I used my hands to help with his accounts" she said defiantly but he just looked at her like the hungry wolf in the fairy tales her older sister had told her growing up.

"You are spirited, I look forward to becoming more intimate with you" he said.

"I am sorry but the only person I intend to be intimate with is my husband, if you excuse me, I have to go." She tried hard to keep the tone of disgust out of her voice and turned her back to him but this was a mistake as he put his arms around her. She stiffened in his grasp, paralysed by fear.

"What do you know about me?" he asked.

"You're the head Witchfinder" she said tremblingly.

"Yes I am and although I may not be a lord, I am extremely powerful and do you want to know what happens to people who don't give me what I want"

"No I don't"

"They suffer and so do their family" he said. The thought of this monster hurting Leon or Harry propelled her into action and she hit him in the ribs with her elbow which forced him to let her go. She ran then straight to her room. Harry was asleep but she picked him up and kissed him.

"What are you doing" Barbara exclaimed taking Harry of her. Harry just looked confused and quickly settled back into his cradle. His mother was shaking and Barbara could see tears in her eyes. She took Penny into the corridor away from the sleeping baby.

Barbara hugged her and smoothed her hair. "We need to run" penny said trembling. "He's after me and he's going to hurt you all to get to me"

"What are you talking about?"

"The Witchfinder, he wants me" Penny said with tears flowing down her face. This made Barbara stiffen slightly. "He's done this before, hasn't he?"

"It's going to be fine" Barbara reassured her.

"Don't try and reassure me, what has he done?" Penny screamed. There was a silence but it was broken by a baby's wail. Penny went back into her room and reassured the crying baby. "I'm so sorry for scaring you" She hugged her child and, he started to quiet down.

"Tell me what you know?"Penny asked trying to control her voice

Barbara looked around her again and then she spoke "There have been rumours"

"What rumours?"

"Rumours that the grand Witchfinder has an eye for pretty ladies and he cares little for propriety" Barbara whispered "He's never tried to aim for anyone this high before, the rumours say he goes for women in the lower town"

"What happened to these women?"

Barbara gulped slightly "Most submit and he tends to get bored within a few months, I hear he has sired at least 20 children. The mothers struggle to care for them but he cares little, he even killed one mother and his child for being a witch."

Penny was shocked at such a heartless action "What about those who don't submit"

"I had a friend, her name was Penelope like you, she was a maid for Sir Leon's mother, she was married to a Blacksmith and she had a beautiful young daughter."Barbara stated to cry

Penny insisted "What happened to her"

"Bad things started to happen to her, her husband's business started to fail, she was fired from Sir Leon's service but she wouldn't submit and then her daughter became deathly ill. She begged him for mercy but only if she submitted, He said that if she submitted, her daughter would be well again, she loved her child and her husband and she hated that her love was being used by a creature such as the Witchfinder."

"What did she do?" Penny asked hesitantly

"She tried to tell the king but he ignored her and the Witchfinder accused her of being a witch sympathiser and Uther ordered her execution."

"What happened to her family?" she asked looking at the sleeping babe in her arms.

"Gaius, the court physician managed to find an antidote for the child and Tom's business eventually recovered, I heard the child is now Lady Morgana's servant."

"So I'm right I need to run. I need to tell Leon and then we need to leave."

"Leon won't leave, he won't run away, he'll want to stay and fight for you." Barbara reasoned

"It won't do any good, he's poisoned the king's mind so he sees magic everywhere if Leon does the same then we'll all get accused of witchcraft" Penny reasoned back.

"If only we could stop him somehow."

They sat in silence and Penny looked at her child. Her innocent child, this man would hurt her child and he would go on hurting children if she didn't stop him. She sat down and started to devise a plan. Her husband returned from the feast and she smiled and kissed him. Barbara and Penny had decided not to tell Leon. He'd just go after the Witchfinder and then be charged with being a magic user. Penny had a plan but it was risky and when she told Barbara what it was she counselled against it but they didn't have another option. She didn't sleep that night but she watched her husband this soothed her and reminded her why she was doing this. She cooked him breakfast in the kitchens. The chef was annoyed but cooking helped, it kept her calm and he bought her breakfast up to her husband.

"This is delicious" Leon said before he got stuck in greedily. After he'd left for the tournament some flowers came from the Witchfinder. She knew this was coming so she smiled at the servant and told him that his master should expect her at 8 tonight. He was clearly expecting something more but she just smiled and got back to her work. He came back later and told her that the Witchfinder was happy she had come to see things his way. She smiled and said she couldn't wait. The servant looked at her suspiciously but apparently Penny had a talent for playacting because he left looking quite happy. He then gave her an outfit and told her that this is what he'd like her to wear and again she smiled and took it. After that she had a walk around the garden and picked up some herbs for the chef. It was their deal for being allowed to cook her husband's breakfast and she knew a lot about herbs.

She went to her husband and the moment he saw her, he kissed her and she kissed him for several moments wanting the moment to last forever but eventually they parted for air if nothing else.

"I wished I'd won now if that's what I get for coming second." He said breathlessly

"You really think it matters, I will love you the same whether you come first or last"

Leon smiled and despite everything she couldn't help but smile back and he whispered into her ear that he loved her too and it almost made her want to cry but instead she kissed him again and then he said the words she'd been dreading " We can't stand around here all day, we've got to get to the feast."

"I'm sorry" she said wishing that she could just accompany her husband. She normally hated feasts and all the snobs who looked down on her but the thought of what she was about to do made her yearn for their looks of disdain at least she could enjoy her husband's company but she had to do this for his sake as well as hers. "I need to stay with Harry tonight, I think he's a bit ill and Gaius has given me something but I want to stay with him to make sure it works." It was scary how easily she came up with that lie.

"That's fine, I'll see you later, I don't know about you but I can't wait to get back home."

"Me too" he kissed her on the cheek and left, a part of her wanted him to see through her trick and tell her she didn't have to do this but she knew she had to and he was safe for the time being. She went to get changed and put her make up on. The dress he'd bought her was made out of a fine red silk and probably the most expensive thing she ever wore. The silk felt soft on her skin but she felt sickened by it. She felt like a doll, her only purpose to please her sick master. She left and made her way to his room. It was quite secluded and towards the back of the castle. According to Barbara it was so the king didn't hear the screams of his victims, he liked to bring some of the people he caught here for experiments he said. There was a secret room where he kept all his equipment. She knocked, hoping he wasn't there and he wasn't the servant she met before opened the door and told her to make herself comfortable.

She didn't make herself comfortable and instead got more and more agitated. The servant seeing this offered her a glass of wine and she managed to resist gulping it down in one swig and keep some of her decorum. She looked around her surroundings; it was richly furnished and immaculately clean. It either showed someone who was obsessed with order or someone who didn't spend their time in this room. She waited and she could tell the servant was as impatient as she was. She also thought she could see a little bit of guilt in his features and he avoided looking at her. This did not fill her with confidence. She was tempted to take pity on the poor man but she wasn't in a charitable mood.

"Hello, my darling, I am so glad you could come" he spoke pleasantly.

She put on a fake smile and turned to face him. He sent his servant away who was relieved to get out of there. The he kissed her and she kissed him back praying for her husband's forgiveness, but he quickly learnt what she was doing.

"What did you do?" he asked freezing in place. She took some poison out of her pocket and poured the whole of it into his mouth. He could feel the poison working immediately he could fell it coursing through his veins stopping his black and diseased heart.

"You really think I'd submit to a monster like you. You may have Uther's protection but that means nothing now. He can't protect you from this. That was one of the most deadly poisons known to man and it will probably kill you in around 5 minutes"

"Give me the antidote?" he demanded choking.

"Why would I do that?" she laughed at the absurdity of it all this monster was begging for her to be merciful. "Did the other Penelope ask for the same thing for her daughter, did she plead for the antidote? Did she beg for mercy?" She asked menacingly.

"You've won give me the antidote and I'll not come near you or your family."

She stepped back. "You wouldn't keep your word?"

"You won't get away with this you'll be executed for treason"

She closed her eyes and thought of Harry and Leon. She was risking everything for them. "If you give me the cure I'll never mention this to everyone. You can raise your child and love your husband."

She smiled sadly "But you'd still be here, preying on the weak and innocent, you'll make them submit. Make them suffer. No it ends with me. No one knows I came here when I leave. No one will know I came. I am sure your servant can be easily bribed and when your secret room is opened" His eyes widened at that which was good now Penny was sure it existed. "I am sure you have plenty of enemies, no one will suspect me. Goodbye Witchfinder, I have not found any pleasure in your company and if you don't mind I'll leave" she turned to go

"An Aimsir Láithreach" he spluttered and she froze and as he twisted his hand, she turned towards him.

"You hypocrite" she spat at him.

"Give me the antidote" he spluttered angrily.

"I don't have it and you don't have time to make it and you're going to die like the snivelling coward you are"

He laughed at that "I may die here but I'm taking you down with me" he started to gather up the last of his strength. "aithrechas"

As he said that Penny raised her arms to protect herself but it was released. She fell to the ground like the marionette. The Witchfinder smiled and tried to reach his secret room to try and reach the cure but the poison was too strong but as he lay there dying. He laughed at the stupid bitch who bought him down. He laughed at the fact that she actually though she could beat him at his own game, he may be dying but she wouldn't win. Her precious child could cry all he wanted. His mother was not coming back.

**A/n Wow sorry for not updating sooner but this is a fanfic I really want to get finished so I can work on something else. I'll have the last chapter up soon as a bit of epilogue but I thought this was a nice point to end on.**


	4. Night

Night

The Witchfinder was dead. It had turned out that he was a magic user and a very dangerous one at that. He was sacrificing his kin to increase his power and using the money and contacts provided by Uther as a way to further his own ends. After this had been discovered, Uther felt the burden of guilt rest on his shoulders but this was quickly squashed by his hatred of magic and he would use it as a reminder to remain as vigilant as ever and Leon could hardly blame him. He thought of all the debates he and Penny had about magic. She would defend it so vehemently and he never understood why. These magic users were dangerous, Leon thought of all the atrocities the witch finder had committed mostly against his own kind.

Barbara had told him what happened about how the Witchfinder wanted her and she had a plan to stop him once and for all. Barbara had said that she didn't want him to be involved and how she didn't want her and Harry to get hurt. Leon felt angry. "What gave you the right to decide that" he shouted at her lying on the bed. She looked like she was sleeping but it was far deeper than any normal slumber. Gaius had figured out how to feed her but beyond that. There was nothing he could do.

"I am your husband" he shouted angrily "You should have told me if you had a problem, we could have faced it together but you had to face this on your own" She didn't react, she looked beautiful, her hair was being kept neat by Barbara and she was wearing one of her finest dresses. He knelt down by the bed and started crying.

"I barely knew you in a way" he cried "But I fell in love with you so quickly, you were so feisty, you were so good at everything I wanted you to be good at, you were so helpful and beautiful and you were the most amazing person I ever met. I would have followed you into hell if you asked but you left me behind and even though I've only known you for such a short time, I can't imagine living my life without you" she still didn't react. He gazed at her and after a while he spoke.

"I suppose you are still here, in a way, I will find a cure for you. I will reverse this and you will see your son again" he held her hand "I promise.

**A/N This chapter was hard to write but I didn't want to leave it without a proper ending so this is me tying up some loose ends. I'll probably write a sequel some day but in the meantime please review and I hope you've enjoyed this fanfic.**


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